6. Career Pathway Clusters
6.2 The Seven Pathway Clusters
Table 16 shows how the 731 occupations were grouped among seven pathway clusters. Occupations were fairly evenly divided among these seven
clusters, except for the particularly large production, construction and engineering “super cluster.” This cluster was further subdivided into 1) engineering and applied technology, 2) construction and extraction, equipment operation, and repair, and 3) design and production.
It is not surprising that the concentration of auto occupations in the production, construction and engineering cluster is high. For autoworkers looking for work within their cluster, it should be encouraging to know that they have options outside auto; 80
percent of the occupations in that super cluster are not distinctively in auto manufacturing.
As Table 16 shows, green occupations are fairly well distributed across clusters, with the exception of the health, social and personal services cluster. Any worker, auto or otherwise, interested in making a transition to a green occupation would likely have several green target occupations within their cluster for which they have a relatively similar skill set and worker traits.
Below is a brief summary of each of the pathway clusters that highlights some of the key worker
requirements, (R) worker traits (T) and occupational requirements (O) that define each
cluster. Discussion of the production, construction and engineering cluster highlights several key characteristics that form the cluster and provides some example occupations since that cluster includes the preponderance of automotive occupations. While at first glance the similarities among many of these occupations may not be obvious, the pattern of high scores among the key characteristics defining each particular cluster explains their fit within each group.
The discussions for the other six clusters are shorter in the interest of brevity,
not because they are any less important. The detailed report, available at www.drivingworkforcechange.org/ reports/careerpathways.pdf, describes all the clusters in greater detail.
6.2.1 Information and Investigation
Despite cutting across several worker or occupation requirements and many different types of professions, the occupations in this cluster share strong
similarities. Across a range of subject areas, these occupations involve collecting and analyzing data. These occupations also share many subject areas, including knowledge in computers, electronics and mathematics. Workers also need elevated capabilities in systems and programming, and they share personal characteristics such as working independently and having a great attention to detail. Workers drawn to these occupations are also personally interested in working with ideas, searching for facts and solving problems.
6.2.2 Health, Social and Personal Services
This might be called the “helping cluster.” Two key occupational requirements define this cluster: assisting and caring for others and dealingwith unpleasant, angry or physically aggressive people. Workers need knowledge in fields such as medicine and dentistry, psychology, and therapy and counseling. Workers are also characterized by higher levels of social interaction at work and having concern for others and self control. Workers also value building relationships and tend to be drawn to vocations in teaching, networking and communicating. Occupations such as medical doctors, therapists and nursing instructors fit this cluster.
6.2.3 Production, Construction and
Engineering
This super cluster covers a wide range of worker and job characteristics. It is also the cluster with the most manufacturing and auto sector occupations. Similarity of the occupations within this cluster is relatively high compared to the other pathway clusters. This super cluster is dominated by occupations with high scores in six knowledge groups: mechanical; engineering and technology; design; physics; building and
Cluster Name§ OccupationsNumber of Number of Auto* Number of Green¤
Information and Investigation 62 0 12
Health, Social and Personal Services 90 0 0
Production, Construction and Engineering 217 44 55
Engineering and Applied Technology 75 20 26
Construction and Extraction,
Equipment Operation, and Repair 69 2 15
Design and Production 73 20 14
Liberal Arts, Education and Human Relations 86 0 7
Business, Sales and Administration 105 2 15
Transportation and Public Services 97 0 20
Environmental Sciences and Food Service 74 1 15
Table 16: Summary of Career Pathway Clusters
§ Clusters are ordered based on their relative strength, or how “tight” the clusters are. Information and investigation was the strongest cluster. The environmental sciences and food service cluster, in contrast, had the weakest similarity scores. The number of occupations in a cluster does not speak to the cluster’s relative strength or importance.
* Based on the CAR definition of auto-related occupations. It does not include two residual occupation categories “all other” for which
there are no job specific data.
¤ Based on the six-digit SOC definitions of the 2009 vintage of O*NET. The 2010 eight-digit O*NET/SOC definitions have considerably
more jobs classified as green.
construction; and production and processing. Because these factors dominate the super cluster, they are a common thread through the sub-clusters.
Engineering and Applied Technology
This sub-cluster is marked by occupations that focus on skills in equipment monitoring and design, as well as systems and programming (see Table 17). Workers with knowledge in engineering and technology
dominate this cluster. While this cluster includes workers needing a knowledge foundation in physics, it also includes the “-cians” such as technicians and electricians with knowledge in specialized areas. Examples of occupations in this cluster include a wide range of engineers, technicians and mechanics.
Construction and Extraction, Equipment Operation, and
Repair
To build structures or extract natural resources, one needs to operate equipment, so it is not surprising that equipment operators are clustered with construction workers. Knowledge in transportation, public safety
and security, and building and construction is also common to this cluster (see Table 18). Many types of repairers and installers are among the occupations within this cluster, in addition to production
occupations.
Design and Production
The third sub-cluster is differentiated from the other two by knowledge in production and processing and design. While this cluster is similar to the first sub-cluster in the strength of engineering and technology, the artistic elements of design tend to dominate this cluster (see Table 19). Occupations range from artisans such as jewelers and tailors to design-oriented production jobs such as industrial engineering technicians and photographic process workers. Like the other sub-clusters, the major occupation groups are diverse: arts and design; production; and transportation and material moving. Category Variable Type Detailed Variable
R Knowledge Engineering and Technology
R Knowledge Mechanical
R Knowledge Physics
R Skills Monitoring/Design*
R Skills Systems/Programming*
Category Variable Type Detailed Variable
R Knowledge Building and Construction
R Knowledge Chemistry
R Knowledge Public Safety and Security
R Knowledge Transportation
O Work Activities Equipment*
Table 17: Engineering and Applied Technology Sub-Cluster: Key Occupation Factors
*This measure represents a combination of several O*NET variables Source: IDWD and IBRC, using O*NET data
Table 18: Construction and Extraction, Equipment Operation and Repair Sub-Cluster: Key
Occupation Factors
*This measure represents a combination of several O*NET variables Source: IDWD and IBRC, using O*NET data
Sample Occupations
Sample Occupations
• Electrical Engineers
• Electronics Engineers, Except Computer • Mechanical Engineers
• Elevator Installers and Repairers • Radio Mechanics
• Power Distributors and Dispatchers
• First-Line Supervisors and Managers of Construction and Extraction Workers
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
• Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
• Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers • Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators,
and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
6.2.4 Liberal Arts, Education
and Human Relations
Worker knowledge requirements dominate the most important factors for this cluster—particularly knowledge of fine arts, history and archeology, philosophy and theology, sociology and anthropology, and communications and media. Workers
in this cluster also tend to have personal artistic interests. The cluster is dominated by education occupations such as postsecondary art and music teachers, music directors and some social
science occupations.
6.2.5 Business, Sales and Administration
Like many of the clusters, knowledge requirements also dominate the business, sales and administration cluster. Workers require knowledge in one of the following areas: sales and marketing, economics and accounting, administration and management, personnel and human resources, and customer and personal service. Those attracted to occupations in this cluster have personal interests in starting up and carrying out projects, leading people and making decisions, and often have an appetite for taking risks. Sample occupations in this cluster span management, business and financial operations, and sales and related occupations.6.2.6 Transportation and Public Services
Knowledge areas of public safety, transportation, law and travel services were the primary drivers that formed this cluster. Key occupations within this cluster range from aviation inspectors to police detectives and urban and regional planners. The major occupational category of transportation and material moving dominated the cluster, followedclosely by the two major categories of law, public safety and security, and life, physical and social science.
6.2.7 Environmental Sciences and Food
Service
This cluster, with the lowest level of similarities among the occupations, is largely defined by high scores in the worker requirements of knowledge in food production, biology and chemistry. This pathway cluster is composed of an extensive array of occupations including scientists in the natural science and environmental disciplines as well as agriculture. This is also the “food cluster” that includes dietitians and food service workers. It may not be intuitively obvious how the occupations in this cluster are comparable, but based on O*NET surveys,
incumbent workers in these occupations share relatively high scores in biology and chemistry, as well as food production.